


May I Have This Dance?

by Salla



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Action, F/M, Fluff, Going to be long, League of Legends - Freeform, Many chapters, Romance, The story of Rakan and Xayah, lore based
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 08:00:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13654827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salla/pseuds/Salla
Summary: Xayah was a lone wolf, she travelled alone not knowing of anything better. She didn't need anything.That was until she met a smug and self centered Vastayan while visiting Vlonqo.





	1. The Day Everything Started

It was like any other day for the young Vastayan male named Rakan, who was named after his grandfather. And much like many of the men in his family, he was an excellent performer and was blessed with good looks and a charm like no other. He had traveled to Vlonqo to see more and experience more of the beauty in the world. Much to his luck, the small town square was crowded with people, stands full of fruits, pastries and crafts. The small center of the village was as lively as ever with children running around, people arguing about the prices of the diffrent kinds of products and someone was playing flute near the old tavern. Rakan was sure he would fit in just fine. He found an exellent place next to the well in the middle of the little town square and sat down on the edge of the well. 

''Perfect,'' he said to himself before taking a look at the crowd. He had already caught the attention of few, thanks to his bright yellow feathered wing on his back. The rays of the bright sunlight reflected from it, making him nearly glisten in the sun. He had a smug smile on his thin lips as he started his performance. He usually just sang songs he had made himself but as he saw someone special in the crowd he knew he had to sing a song his grandmother used to sing to him when he was a toddler. It was an old song telling about the history of the Vastayan people and how they once were a big nation. The woman, also Vastayan, dressed in a cape with a wing with different shades of violet feathers and a hood, seemed to be affected by his song and looked at Rakan deeply. Her eyes were deep yellow, almost orange. They followed Rakan closely which made him put extra effort in the song. Her ears, mixture of violet and deep pink twitched a little, telling Rakan that he had her attention. 

Xayah, who had traveled all the way from the North of Ionia to South, in Vlonqo, to steal back an old Vastayan relic, had never seen anything like that young Vastayan male. He had a blonde messy hair, some of it being red from the front, well toned body and a red cape and wing with long, neat yellow feathers. Despite his good looks Xayah rolled her eyes at his egoistic act, how he smiled at the women surrounding him, cheering what she assumed to be his name. She rolled her eyes and turned her back to the crowd and to the singing Vastayan as well. She was on a mission and there was no time to be wasted. 

Rakan felt how his smug smile faded when he noticed that the violet raven disappeared into the crowd, out of his eyesight. There were women, both human and Vastayan and they couldn't take their eyes off of him. How could that one woman? Did she see him? He didn't understand it. He got so distracted he couldn't continue singing anymore and moved on from the crowd as well hoping he'd spot the woman again. 

Xayah hid in the shadows of an alley near the town square to plan how to proceed. She had to sneak into a castle nearby and during the daylight was the best time to do that. No one would expect anyone trying to steal anything before dark. She got into the castle without any problems, through a window in the back of the castle and managed to avoid being seen. The hallway was poorly lighted and the windows were too small to let any sunlight inside so it was easy for her to blend into the shadows, only her yellow eyes glistening in the darkness. 

Not even a sound was heard when Xayah nearly glided in the hallways, avoiding the few guards walking around the castle. She knew the relic would be guarded well but still believed in her chances. She had done this for years now, stealing stolen Vastayan relics back.

She soon found the door with two guards standing in front of it. Both of them had a heavy armor but no helmets or collars. Easy, thought Xayah who had hidden behind the corner of the corridor leading to the door. She took two feathers as sharp as two daggers and peeked behind the corner. The men had no idea she was there. In two seconds the men fell down with a loud clatter as their armor hit the hard stone floor. Xayah knew she didn't have long so she hurried with picking the lock of the door. 

There were two more men in the room, who noticed her immediately as she opened the door. 

''Alarm backup!'' the other one yelled, gripping his sword tighter and taking a firmer stand with the second, covering the relic behind them. 

''Boys, you have something that doesn't belong to you,'' Xayah said, getting ready for the battle. 

* * *

 

Rakan was sitting on the edge of the well, looking at the crowd with a frown. That woman had ruined his performance by turning her back to him like that, ruining his day at the same time. Yet, he wanted to see her again. There was something in her eyes, in her presence in general that intrigued him, making him want to follow her. It was too late now, he'd probably never see her again. He sighed, looking at the sky. Looked like it would start to rain soon too, the day kept getting better and better. 

''Get her!'' he heard a yell from his right and turned his head enough to catch a glimpse of that woman running past her, holding something in her hand. After her ran a dozen of guards, trying to catch up with her with their heavy armors. Rakan dashed after the group, knowing that if that woman was driven into a dead end, she wouldn't match up to the guards.

When Rakan reached them in the woods nearby the edge of the village, Xayah had already been surrounded by the guards, and was now trying to defend herself from the slashing swords and axes. Although Rakan was the type of living in peace and avoided fights and battles, he didn't hesitate with dashing towards the woman, gaining her a shield so bright it blinded the guards for few seconds. This gave Xayah enough time to cast eight feathers in between her fingers and throw them at the men. 

The battle was over as soon as it had begun. 

''Woo! Never mess with the Vastayan!'' Rakan cheered before making sure his wing and cape were unharmed. Xayah rolled her eyes at the man, making sure she still had the relic. She pulled out a gemstone shaped like a water drop with rune markings on it's side. 

''Like taking a candy from a Yordle,'' she mumbled, putting the stone back into her bag, where it would be safe from others' eyes. 

''That's why they chased you?'' Rakan asked, looking how the gemstone disappeared in Xayah's bag. ''isn't that supposed to be in a safe vault in South Ionia?'' he tilted his head a little. 

''It's on it's way back,'' Xayah said, kicking at one of the guard's corpses. ''Humans and their greediness,'' she sighed. ''Also, thanks but I would've handled them by myself,'' she glanced at the man over her shoulder. 

''Well at least I saved you some time,'' Rakan shrugged. His positivity annoyed her quite much but at the same time made him more likeable. How conflicting. 

''You fought well,'' Xayah admitted while trying to find something worth taking with from the guards with poor results. ''For a showmonkey, that is,'' she teased but Rakan didn't get offended. 

''I was the best battledancer of my village,'' he bragged and Xayah once again rolled her eyes, focusing on the bodies again. ''So are you taking that gemstone to South?'' he asked and Xayah nodded, not even glancing at Rakan. ''It just so happens that South is where I'm headed. Mind if I tag along?'' 

''I don't have choice do I now?'' she asked looking at the man with a smirk. 

''Nope,'' Rakan replied, returning to her smirk with a grin. 

''Xayah,'' Xayah introduced. ''And you better keep up, I move fast, and only fast,'' 

''Rakan, and that's just the way I like it,'' he said with that smug smile of his.

The two traveled two days straight and Xayah was surprised by how well Rakan kept up with her pace. He did not complain nor ask for breaks, he just walked by her side, humming calming tones as they walked through the forest. His steps were as light as hers so she could hunt as they moved forward. It was.. surprisingly natural for them to travel together. 

''So where exactly are you from?'' Rakan asked as they walked. 

''East,'' Xayah replied. 

''I heard that.. The village was destroyed with everyone living it,'' Rakan said, stopping. It made Xayah to stop too and she turned to look at Rakan. 

''I wasn't there.. So everyone but me,'' she said. ''I don't know what happened or who did it.. But when I do I will avenge for them,'' her tone was serious and Rakan took it seriously too.  He stepped forward, dropping down on his knees. 

''Where ever you go, so will I,'' he said, looking down. ''I will help you on your journey to avenge for our people,'' to Rakan being a Vastayan meant a lot. He remembers how his grandmother used to tell him tales of the old times when Vastayan were a strong and powerful yet peaceful nation. Then the humans came and took their land, broke their families and killed the peace Vastayans had treasured for centuries. 

''Get up,'' Xayah said with a chuckle. As annoying as Rakan might've been, he had already started to grow on her. ''We have a job to do,'' 

 


	2. The Day Of Shadow People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new companions reach their destination, but something is clearly not right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter  
> Enjoy  
> ~Salla

They traveled through the forests of Ionia for days without resting more than few hours in the nights. The summer was coming to it's end, making the leaves of the trees change their color from green to different shades of orange and yellow. This was the favorite time of the year to Rakan who often stopped to admire the colors. Xayah let him have the little joys, secretly enjoying the beauty too. 

Rakan walked by her side, humming an unfamiliar but pleasant tone as he looked around himself in the forest. He had traveled a lot but took always the big roads instead of the paths in the forests because they were safer and quicker. Xayah wanted to keep lower profile because she wasn't liked in many human villages, which were growing and spreading around Ionia.

Xayah had to admit it was actually pretty handy to have someone traveling by her side. She didn't have to sleep with one eye open and when she got bored she'd have someone to talk to, even if it didn't happen too often. Rakan instead was very interested to see the world through Xayah's eyes. The way she respected everything around her from the smallest insects to the animals she hunted for them to eat, it was amazing to Rakan who of course respected the nature but never like she did. He in the other hand saw beauty in everything and like Xayah, felt the magic flowing everywhere. It was something typical for only Vastayans. They breathed magic like they breathed air and because of that it was easy for them to feel it if something was wrong in the balance of the nature, like now. There was a disturbance in the island of Ionia and they both felt it getting stronger the closer they got to their destination. 

When they reached the top of the valley hiding the village they were headed to Xayah could feel how her heart skipped a beat. Everything was dead, like after a fire. Only this wasn't because of fire or anything natural. Even the grass was not brown like dead grass would be. It was black, as if something had absorbed the life in everything living. Neither Xayah or Rakan had never seen anything like it. 

''What is it?'' Rakan asked, glancing at Xayah who stared at the view, horror reflecting from her deep yellow eyes. ''Humans?'' 

''No,'' Xayah managed to say, shaking her head. ''Humans aren't capable in dark magic like this.. This is something far worse,'' she said. There was a crack in the bushes behind them, Xayah's ear twitched and in two seconds she was holding her lethal feathers in between her every finger while Rakan had created a shield around her. ''You better come out,'' Xayah said with a threatening tone, her ears twitching restlessly. She nodded at Rakan, who slowly moved towards the bushes, reaching to move the branches from covering who ever was hiding behind them. 

''Don't hurt me!'' a small child said, trying to back down, pointing a dagger at Xayah and Rakan who immediately lowered their defences. She was Vastayan as well. The child was injured, holding her bleeding side with her free hand while the other was still holding the dagger, pointed at the two. ''I don't want to die!'' the child cried, kicking herself further from Rakan who immediately lowered himself on his knees to seem less threatening. 

''It's alright, we are here to help you,'' he assured the child. ''Don't be scared,'' Xayah walked slowly closer, taking her hood off. 

''You are hurt, let us help you,'' she said, smiling calmly. The child seemed to calm down and lowered her weapon. 

Rakan set up a campfire, since it was getting dark. He was still a little clumsy with setting up the branches and firewood properly but was getting better and better at it. Meanwhile Xayah helped the child to sit down and offered to patch up her wounds. She had long white hair and ears like snow fox's.

''They came out of nowhere, from the shadows,'' The child said, looking at the flaming firewood. ''The darkness spread around, consuming everything..'' she turned her purple eyes to Rakan and Xayah, who glanced at each other. ''They captured the whole village and killed those who tried to escape, I got away because I'm so small,'' she told them. 

''What's your name?'' Rakan asked. 

''Amya,'' she replied. ''You said you're here to help, will you save them? Will you save my family?'' her big eyes turned to Xayah who looked down. 

''We will try, but first you need to tell us what 'they' are,'' Xayah said, glancing at the village. It was dark, no lights or anything telling that there was someone still there.. Or alive.

''There were many of them, they moved as fast as shadows and appeared out of nowhere,'' Amya told her. ''I didn't see them from up close because I ran away. I hurt myself when I dropped from a tree,'' she looked down, her ears lopping on the sides of her small head. ''If I hadn't ran..'' 

''You'd be captured like everyone else and we wouldn't know what we're up against,'' Rakan said with a soft voice. ''You were brave,'' he assured Amya who nodded faintly. ''Xayah?'' he turned to look at the woman who was now facing the village. 

''We have to help,'' she said plainly. 

''Obviously, but how?'' Rakan asked. 

* * *

 

Xayah and Rakan made their way down the alley quietly in the protection of the night's darkness. Soon they saw the first of many of the people Amya called 'shadow people'. They were wearing black clothes and had their faces covered by masks Xayah had seen ninjas use. Every single man was armed with a sword so sharp it would cut through Xayah's feathers easily. 

The two hid in one of the alleys to get a better view of the situation.The village itself was small, it had one path going through it and small flat roofed houses side by side on the both sides of the small rock paved path. Xayah eyed at the situation, there were shadow people patrolling around the village but distinctly more around the Village's largest building. Xayah guessed it was the place they kept the villagers who managed to survive the attack. 

''They are there,'' Xayah whispered to Rakan. ''There are too many for us to take down by ourselves,'' she said, observing the door of the building, trying to figure out the safest and fastest way inside. 

''I'll distract, you free everyone,'' Rakan said and before Xayah could argue he dashed away, using his magic to make his feathers glow brightly and tackled the first shadow ninja he encountered. ''You missed one!'' he beamed, jumping up. Every single one of the men patrolling around sprinted after now running Rakan who nodded to Xayah while he passed the alley she was still hiding in.

She made her way towards the now unguarded door, when a black shuriken hit the surface of the wooden door, sticking onto it. Xayah turned around to face a man with glowing blue eyes. The rest of his face was hidden behind the same kind of cowl as the others but the color of his over all was lighter. He had also heavier armor and had a big sword in his back, which he now pulled out and pointed at Xayah, who leaned against the door, looking for a way to go around the man. 

''You are trespassing,'' the man said. His voice was steady and firm, as if he knew he was going to win. 

''So are you,'' Xayah said. ''Do you want to do this the easy way, or the hard way?'' she asked, crouching down and man sprinted at her, his sword ready to impale her. She dodged the attack with an ease, jumping to her right and threw five feathers at him. One of them hit him in the shoulder but it didn't seem to stop him. He was again sprinting at Xayah, who dodged the sharp blade of his sword and then jumped against his chest to make him lose his balance. It was enough for her to kick his sword from his hands and force him on the ground. ''You had to take the hard way,'' Xayah said. ''Call your men away and never return to this village,'' she said, holding one of her feathers against the man's throat. 

''You Vastayans,'' The man said with a chuckle. ''don't know when to quit,'' he said and Xayah saw a purple flash in the corner of her eye. It was the sword, flying through the air towards her. She managed to barely jump away and still felt how the blade sliced her side painfully. She ended up losing her balance because of getting hit and rolled on the ground, holding her side. 

''Xayah!'' she heard Rakan and looked up. The man was nowhere to be seen anymore, even his men had disappeared. ''What happened?'' Rakan ran to her, helping her up. ''Everyone just disappeared into thin air,'' 

''I-I don't know,'' Xayah said, pressing her hands against the bleeding wound. She inhaled through her gritted teeth, straightening her back. ''This is going to hurt tomorrow,'' she muttered. 

''I'm sorry I couldn't make it faster,'' Rakan said with a low voice, his ears pressing down. He felt quilt, even though he knew it wasn't his fault. 

''Don't worry,'' Xayah said with a grin. ''It'll heal.'' he nodded, smiling a little, even though he still felt bad about it. ''Help me with this door,'' Xayah nodded towards the heavy looking door and Rakan pulled it open with ease. His well trained body wasn't just for him to look good, that was clear. 

''Please don't hurt us!'' a female voice cried out as the door opened and the dim light of the rising sun got inside the building. Xayah and Rakan were now facing a handful of people sitting on the cold floor, some looking like they wouldn't survive much longer in those conditions. 

''Don't worry, we came to help you!'' Rakan announced with pride. ''You are free again,'' he said, holding his arms in the air to seem more friendly. Xayah rolled her eyes at his 'heroic' act but didn't interrupt him. Iif he hadn't distracted the ninjas, she couldn't have done anything. He was a hero indeed. 

* * *

 

''We came to return this,'' Xayah said, handing the relic from her bag to the village's leader, Raron. ''We were lucky to encounter with Amya. If she hadn't told us what was waiting for us in here, we would've been dead in no time,''

''Thank you,'' Raron, who was also the village's oldest man said with a smile, taking the gemstone in his bony and wrinkly hands. ''The whole village is in a great debt to you both,'' he smiled kindly, bowing down. After that he turned around to restore the relic to where it was and it begun to glow dimly. 

''Vastayans stay together,'' Rakan said told him, glancing at Xayah who smiled. The nature around the village had started to be more alive but it was clear that even though the battle was won, the war was still not over. 

''The darkness spreads through the forests of Ionia, killing everything on it's way,'' Raron said with concern in his voice as he placed the gemstone where it belonged. ''The man you fought, Shen, he wasn't the leader of the shadow people,'' he looked at Xayah, who moved her hand on the wound Shen's sword had left on her side. 

''I thought Shen lived in the Kinkou monastery and treasured peace as much as we did,'' the Raven looked at Raron who let out a sorrowful sigh. ''What made him change his mind?'' 

''Word goes that his brother, Zed, is holding Shen's students as hostages,'' he told Xayah. ''Shen has no other options,'' 

''I'm assuming he won't be any easier than the guy Xayah fought,'' Rakan mumbled and Xayah bumped him with her elbow. ''What?'' he asked, glaring at Xayah who gave him a strict look. 

''No, and that is why I advise you to run away from Ionia as fast as you can,'' Raron said. 

''If I turned my back to all this, I would never forgive myself,'' Xayah said with a firm voice. It was clear she'd rather die in the battle than run and hide. ''Can you give us directions to him?'' she asked. Raron looked at the woman with sad eyes and nodded. She wouldn't survive the battle against Zed but he still had hope. 

''I will get you a map and the town will provide you supplies for your journey,'' Raron assured. ''And we will make sure your wound will be healed,'' 

''There is no need for that, we leave before the dusk,'' Xayah said. ''Or are you tired, Rakan?'' she glanced at Rakan who shook his head. 

''Never too tired to save Ionia,'' he said with a smile, causing Xayah to roll her eyes as she turned around to walk out of the building they were in. Rakan was about to walk after her, but Raron grabbed him from his arm firmly, looking straightly into Rakan's eyes with his old and wise ones.

''Xayah has been a great friend for me and many of this village for years.. We do not wish her to die,'' he said without looking away. 

''Over my dead body,'' Rakan promised with a nod. Raron let his arm go and he jogged after Xayah. 

It was clear that this was only the begin of their journey together. 


	3. The night of the Campfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xayah and Rakan have an argument over Xayah's health

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is a short filler!!

''Shouldn't you slow down?'' Rakan asked Xayah, who walked ahead of him with a fast pace. ''It's not that I can't keep up with you but you were injured just a day ago,'' he reminded her and she scoffed. 

''The longer we take to get there, the more nature around us is dying,'' Xayah replied, picking up the speed again. She did feel the pain in her side and she was also pretty sure the wound was bleeding again but there was no time to be wasted. The whole Ionia was in danger.

''Xayah, you won't be useful in any way in that condition,'' Rakan said, reaching to grab the helm of her wing. Xayah turned around and glared at the man, yanking her wing off of his grip. ''I'm serious, you are in no condition to travel without breaks, let alone battle against some evil shadow ninja master,'' his bright blue eyes stared into her yellow eyes deeply.

''You can stay and rest all you want but I'm not going to sit around doing nothing while people are dying, Rakan,'' Xayah hissed, turning her back to Rakan who grabbed her shoulder. ''Why do you care?'' she snapped, looking at the man. 

''Because I'd hate to carry your corpse back to Raron,'' he said, looking down. 

''You don't owe me or him anything,'' Xayah said, trying to jerk Rakan's grip off her shoulder without any success. ''So let me go,'' 

''You are right, I don't owe you anything,'' Rakan shrugged. ''But doesn't mean I want to see you die,'' he told her. ''Just rest over the night and I will shut up,'' he promised. Xayah let out a sigh, rolling her eyes. 

''Fine,'' she said grumpily and finally Rakan let her shoulder go. ''But we leave as soon as the sun rises,'' she looked away from him, knowing he'd just smile smugly because of his victory. ''Stop grinning and go get firewood,'' 

''Yes ma'am,'' Rakan said with a light chuckle and left the small path to find some dry branches and leaves for a proper campfire. Xayah sighed again and sat down on a hollow log. Men can be so demanding and overprotective over nothing. She was fine, it just hurt a little.. Well a lot actually but she could handle it, she was tougher than she seemed. How did Rakan not know that already? They had been traveling for few weeks together. He should know better. She moved the bandage from covering the wound to see it's condition. 

''Crap,'' she exhaled. It was definetly bleeding again. She bit her lip as she placed the bandage to cover the open flesh wound again. She had been in worse conditions, this was nothing. There was crackling behind her and she got up quickly, taking a defensive positition. ''Next time give me some warning,'' she muttered when Rakan appeared from the bushes. 

''You want me to yell in the forest?'' Rakan questioned with a teasing smirk. 

''No. No I do not,'' Xayah replied, knowing this conversation would end up with her gritting her teeth together. 

''Well what kind of warning would you like then?'' Rakan asked, lowering the firewood he'd managed to find onto the ground and starting to build the fire. 

''Nevermind,'' Xayah nearly growled. She wasn't really mad at him, she just hated when he was right. ''Need any help there?'' she asked, tilting her head a little. 

''Nope, I think I've finally gotten the hang of this!'' Rakan said with a proud smile. Xayah chuckled at his smile and looked away. Maybe it was good for them to stop for the night, she hadn't realized how sore her body was until she sat down for a while. That and the fact that nights were getting colder day by day. Warm campfire didn't sound half bad when she felt the cold breeze on her skin, mikng her body tremble. It was colder than usually, probably because the whole island was unbalanced. 

* * *

 

Rakan's eyes were on the calmly fluttering flames of the campfire. Every now and the he'd poke the firewood with a stick to make room for some more. He wasn't going to wake Xayah up for te night watch, she needed to sleep and rest more than him. He glanced at the woman, who was curled into a fetal positition under her wing, trying to stay warm. It was getting cold indeed and Xayah felt it probably more than Rakan did, because she was smaller than him. his eyes drifted back onto the flames and finally at the stars. It had been a while since he'd seen them properly. Since he'd have time to pay attention on them. Everything had changed ever since he swore to follow Xayah anywhere she went and while he might've not had a place to sleep every night or food that didn't taste like nothing due to the lack of spices, he was happy. He hadn't been this happy in years.

He heard a sound of movement on his right and turned his head to look at Xayah who now was sitting on the ground, breathing heavily. 

''Everything alright?'' he asked, turning to face Xayah fully. She nodded, avoiding eye contact. It was clear she had had another nightmare. She got them often and while Rakan wanted to help, he didn't know how to bring it up with someone like Xayah. She wouldn't accept his help, let alone admit she had nightmares.

''Yeah, it's just.. Damn cold,'' Xayah lied, hiding her facial expressions under the shadow of her hood. ''You want me to take the watch?'' she asked and Rakan shook his head softly. 

''No, it's not time for that yet,'' he said, poking the fire again. 

''Come here then,'' Xayah ordered and it took a moment for Rakan to react to it. 

''Are you going to hit me?'' he asked half playfully, half actually meaning it. 

''No, you idiot, just.. come here,'' Xayah said with a soft chuckle and Rakan obeyed, sitting down next to Xayah, who pressed him down all the way until he was laying. She then reached to grab Rakan's wing and pulled it gently over her, placing her head on his chest. 

''What..?'' Rakan started but Xayah shushed him. 

''You wanted me to sleep, this is the only way I can actually do it,'' Xayah said, closing her eyes. ''Complains?'' 

''No, sleep,'' Rakan said with a little laugh as he looked at the violet Raven. 

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. It was hard not to, thanks to Raka's steady heart beat she could hear clearly. Rakan made sure his wing would keep her warm, before looking at the stars again. 


	4. The Day Of The Shadow Ninjas And The Zorya's Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite couple gets surrounded by Zed's minions on their way to defeat him.  
> Rakan takes some damage.

It was totally silent in the forest that once used to be full of life. Not even a chirp from a bird or chirring from late summer's crickets, it was like every single living thing had either escaped or went to hiding. They must've felt the unbalance too. The dead grass crackled under Xayah's and Rakan's feet as they walked forward without saying a word. They both felt their surroundings dying and as Vastayans part of them was dying too. Ionia is an island where magic is like air, every single thing born in there is connected to the magic in a way, making a life long bond between them and the nature surrounding them.

Rakan glanced at Xayah, who walked forward with a blank expression in her yellow eyes. She hadn'd said a word for hours, which didn't bother Rakan. What bothered him was the aura he felt around her, she was clearly in a bad place even though she didn't want to admit or show it to anyone else.

''We can stop for a while if you want,'' Rakan reminded the Raven who ignored him. ''Xayah,''

''There is no need,'' Xayah said and even though she tried to hide it, her voice was shaking. Her magic, just like Rakan's was fading slowly as the darkness spread through Ionia. Xayah didn't even glance at Rakan and kept walking forward with determined eyes. ''If we keep walking, we'll reach the spot Raron showed us on the map in few weeks,''

''Don't you think it's dangerous to-'' Rakan started but his sentence was cut short when he nearly bumped into Xayah, who had suddenly stopped. Rakan looked past her, feeling how his heart ached as he saw a female deer laying on the ground, struggling to just to breathe. Xayah lowered herself on the mare's level, taking it's head on her lap gently.

''She's poisoned,'' Xayah said with a heartbreaking tone as she ran her hand on the soft fur of the deer. ''It has reached her heart,'' she mumbled.

''Is there anything we can do?'' Rakan asked, knelting down as well. Nature and animals were close to his heart too, maybe not like Xayah's but it hurt him aswell.

''Only thing we can do is to end her pain,'' Xayah muttered, still looking into the deer's big brown eye. The animal had calmed down, it knew it was safe now. Xayah took one of her feathers as she stroked the deer's fur to calm her down. Slowly she moved the feather on the deer's neck and started muttering words in Vastayan. Rakan recognized it as the typical speech one would have in funerals.

_''Thank you for your service, brave one._

_May your spirit fly freely and guard the future generations_

_You did not die in vein, your sacrifice won't be forgotten,''_

 

It had been a while since Rakan had heard those words. There weren't many funerals amongst Vastayans, because they could live decades longer than humans would but when a Vastayan did die, the rest of the village always made sure to respect the deceased with beautiful funerals and honoring their memory. Rakan had only been into one funeral before, his great great grandmother's. He was young and didn't understand much of the service itself but the songs he heard that day were close to his heart to this day.

''Oola baash,'' Rakan muttered, placing his hand on Xayah's shoulder before she quickly slit the deer's throat, ending her misery and pain. Oola baash was a Vastayan farewell but also a promise of seeing each other again. Last time he said that to someone was when he left for his journey and he had to say goodbye to his family. He missed them but also had a calling of some sort to explore the world and experience new things.

Later, as they both looked at the deer's now flaming body, Rakan reached to take Xayah's hand slowly, intertwining his fingers with hers to comfort her and it seemed to help. He felt her squeezing his hand lightly as she watched at the flames. Her eyes were watering but she held in the tears, not wanting to show her weakness to Rakan.

''We need to keep going,'' she finally said, taking her eyes from the fire.

They walked in silence through the dead forest and although what they just witnessed had hurt them both, they got more determinated to end it, once and for all. Rakan wanted to say something but he didn't know what and how. He felt the tension in Xayah's aura, the anxiety and sorrow but couldn't do anything to help her with her feelings.

Suddenly Rakan heard a sound of something most likely sharp flying through the air and in the corner of his eye he managed to catch a glimpse of a shuriken flying through the air towards Xayah. He dashed to cover his companion without any hesitation. He didn't think a second, he had promised Raron to keep her safe and having a shuriken flying at her wasn't safe. Rakan created a shield to protect them from the next five shurikens.

Xayah felt how Rakan's arms wrapped around her, soon finding herself under him, being protected from several shurikens while he tried to maintain the shield around them. It took her a second to fully understand what was happening.

''Are you alright?'' Rakan's light blue eyes were reaching for her eyes to make sure she wasn't hurt. Xayah nodded and they both got up in a second, preparing for the upcoming fight.

''Alright, Mr. battledancer,'' Xayah said, nodding at Rakan who nodded back before creating a new golden shield around them. It didn't take long until they were surrounded by dozens of shadow ninjas, all ready and willing to kill without any hesitation.

''Ready when you are,'' Rakan said, eyeing at the men, calculating the chances for different strategies of approaching them.

''Now!'' Xayah shouted, jumping in the air as Rakan dashed at the shadow people around them, creating a magical barrier around himself. He jumped from a man to another, blinding them with the bright golden barrier, managing to confuse them enough for Xayah to throw her feathers at them. The two Vastayans moved in sync as if they knew what the other was thinking about and if someone had seen it, it would've looked like they were dancing. Their moves were sudden and suave, like it had been planned, choreographied even. ''Feathers fly!'' Xayah shouted sharply before throwing a full load of ten feathers sharp as daggers and pulling them back immediately after they hit either the men or the ground. There was no mercy, it was a deadly dance and they clearly had the better moves.

''Did we get them all?'' Rakan asked under his breath, looking around himself. The bodies of the ninjas were laying around them, all dead. Xayah usually felt bad for taking life but not this time. She wanted Zed and his men to die and go back to the depths of hell. She had no mercy and was determined to end what he was planning.

''I think so,'' she confirmed with a nod, looking at Rakan. ''And.. thank you,'' she smiled faintly to what Rakan shrugged.

''Just did my duty,'' he said and for a second they just looked at each other, until the adrenaline left Rakan's body and he felt a stinging pain on his back and he collapsed onto his knees.

''Rakan?'' Xayah asked and hurried to her partner reaching to support him so he wouldn't fall on the ground. She reached to move his wing enough to see that he had one shuriken sunk in his upper back. ''Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?'' she asked, reaching for an eye contact.

''You seemed busy,'' he shrugged, which caused him to wince in pain. ''How bad is it?''

''We need to get it off but not here, there's a lake nearby,'' Xayah told him. ''This is too open place,''

''You mean the lake of Zorya's? That's a long way back,'' Rakan refused. ''I'll be okay, just pull it out,''

''No, Zorya's lake has healing effects, we need to get you there,'' Xayah argued, taking his other arm over her shoulder. ''Can you walk?'' Rakan nodded, biting his teeth together. There was no arguing with her, he knew that. He did feel bad though, because of him they had to go back all the way to Zorya's. It would lenghten their journey with a day and half at least. But then again, the shuriken would've hit Xayah if he hadn't covered her. ''Rakan,'' Xayah said with a scolding tone.

''What?'' he asked.

''Stop trying to be a hero and take support from me,'' she ordered and he unwillingly put a little more weight on her. It did ease his pain a little.

''Sorry,'' Rakan said with a little chuckle.

 

* * *

 

 

It was dark again when they reached the lake and the moon had it's bright reflection on the calm surface of the small lake, making the little waves glisten in the dark night. The forest around the Zorya's had maintained it's life, thanks to the lake's healing effects, making it a little shelter for the two.

''Can you swim?'' Xayah asked as she half dragged half supported Rakan towards the lake.

''Yeah, why?'' he asked, glancing at Xayah. ''Wait? No! The water is freezing!'' he argued but once again Xayah did not listen to him. She knew the lake would fasten the healing process. She dropped her bag on the shore before they walked into the lake.  The water indeed was freezing but at the same time refreshing and Xayah could immediately feel the healing effects of the lake. Her old wound from the fight she had with Shen started to heal the deeper she walked with Rakan.

''This is enough,'' Xayah muttered, mostly to herself. The water was up to her upper chest, making it hard for her to support Rakan anymore. ''Let me have a look at it,'' she said, swimming on Rakan's backside, holding onto him whilst doing so. The wound around the shuriken looked infected already. It made her think if the blades were poisoned.

''How are you planning on doing this?'' Rakan asked, trying to stand the burning pain on his back.

''I'll count to three,'' she told him.

''Alright,'' Rakan agreed. ''Sounds like a plan,''

''One,'' Xayah took the shuriken between he middle and index fingers. ''Two,'' she tightened the grip around the blade on Rakan's back.

''Wait! Are you pulling on three or after?'' Rakan tried to glance at Xayah over his shoulder.

''Three,'' Xayah said before pulling the black metal blade out of Rakan's back with one swift tug, making Rakan yelp in pain. ''It's infected,'' Xayah said, mostly to herself as she examined the wound, rinsing it with the water of the lake. ''Let's hope this'll help,''

''And if it won't?''

''We'll have two funerals in one day,'' Xayah said, half joking. It made Rakan chuckle a little, which made him twitch of the pain again. Xayah kept rinsing the wound until she was sure it was clean and the flesh of it was bright red.

''Can we please go? I'm pretty sure I'm close to hypothermia,'' Rakan said with a shudder. It amused Xayah, the man just took a shuriken on his back and he was whining of the temperature of the water.

''You are unbelieveable,'' Xayah said, rolling her eyes as she helped him out of the water onto the shore. ''Brave.. But unbelieveable,'' she made him sit down onto the ground, leaning against a log.

''Those are both good things to me,'' Rakan said with a smirk.

''Wait here, I'll go get some herbs for the bandage,'' she ordered him and it was his time to roll his eyes at her. She left him alone for a few minutes before returning with several plants in her hands. ''I need to stew these,'' she muttered once again more to herself than Rakan who was trying to deal with the pain.

''Take your time,'' he said under his breath. The water had helped, the pain was now bearable but still pretty bad, even to someone like Rakan. Xayah took one of the plants she had gathered into her mouth and started chewing it, spitting the stewed plant on a leaf.

''If I knew you were stupid enough to take a shuriken in your back I would've asked Raron to give us some first aid equipments,'' she said with a scolding tone. ''Give me your back,''

''All yours,'' Rakan said, leaning forward so Xayah could get reach the wound. It wasn't bleeding anymore at least. The lake had done it's trick. Xayah first put some of the stewed plant straight into the wound, making Rakan wince a little.

''Stay still,'' she ordered.

''Sorry,'' Rakan said with a chuckle. She made sure the wound was filled with the stew before putting a leaf to cover the wound and finally using a ripped piece of the helm of her dress to make sure it would stay there.

''There,'' she said with a pleased tone. ''It's not the best but our only solution,''

''Then we can keep going,'' Rakan grunted as he tried to get up which Xayah stopped immediately.

''No. You are going to take it easy and let it heal,'' she said.

''We were in a hurry, remember?'' Rakan reminded her, making her scoff.

''Hurry maybe, but I don't want to bury you before we even get to Zed,'' she said. ''So don't move and sleep,''

''Yes ma'am,'' Rakan mumbled with an eye roll. They were going to take longer to get there now, because of him.

 

* * *

 

''What are you doing?'' Rakan asked half asleep when he felt Xayah's hands on his back. It was still dark, the sun hadn't even begun it's rising.

''Just checking on the wound, keep sleeping,'' she told him. She had taken her hood off, making her dark purple hair wave in the faint wind.

''Shouldn't you sleep too?'' he turned to face the violet Raven. Xayah couldn't reply without seeming weak in front of Rakan. It was cold and she had woken up to another nightmare. Rakan knew this but didn't want to push her too much. ''Come here, the wound is okay, it doesn't hurt anymore,'' he said, pulling her against his chest. He moved his wing to cover her from the coldness of the night. ''You need to rest too,'' he reminded her.

''Thank you,'' she muttered, not daring to look at him. ''Though you shouldn't have done it,''

''But I did,'' Rakan replied.

''You could've died,'' Xayah pointed out.

''Then I would've died,'' Rakan said.

''You are stupid,'' Xayah scoffed with an eye roll.

''Maybe so,'' he said with a smile which Xayah wasn't able to see. ''It was worth it,'' his voice was low and smooth like honey as he tightened his grip around her to make sure she'd stay warm.

''Idiot,'' Xayah said.

''You like me anyway,'' Rakan purred, planting a kiss on her head. It was a big move but he was happy when he felt her lips on his chest.

''I do,'' she purred back.

It was clear the two would get closer as the time went by.


	5. The day of the big words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two meet an interesting little Yordle in the woods while traveling towards their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading so far!

''Are you sure you can handle the trip?'' Xayah asked, now looking at Rakan who for once rolled his eyes instead of her. She kept insisting on taking a look on the wound at least once in two hours which did slow them down quite a bit. They were walking through a shadow of a dead forest, the dead leaves and grass crackling under their feet as they proceeded forwards. 

''Weren't you the one who said you wouldn't let anything slow us? And now we're almost day and a half behind,'' Rakan reminded the violet Raven who was about to roll her eyes but Rakan's marking look got her just to sigh. She didn't have an argument on that, the Peacock had once again outplayed her with his choice of words. ''Good, so where to?'' Rakan asked and Xayah only then noticed they were standing in front of an intersection of two paths. Other leading right whilst other led left. Xayah's orange eyes jumped between the two paths for a second or two. 

''I don't.. I don't know, this crossing wasn't on the map,'' she said, squinting her sharp eyes. She was sure there wasn't one, had they missed a turn earlier? The map Raron had given her couldn't have false information.

''Are you sure? Maybe you should check it again,'' Rakan suggested, making Xayah groan in frustration. 

''Rakan, you know that I-'' Xayah started with a lecturing tone and Rakan finished her sentence: 

''Have memorized the map, yes I know but the forest has changed a lot. You should check again, just to be safe,'' Rakan said softly, gracing the Raven's soft ear gently. He could see it was important for her to be right and know where they were so he didn't tease her, even though it was tempting. Xayah didn't reply, just reached for the map from her bag, ending up reaching for nothing. 

''Where's my map?'' she asked, glancing down. ''Where's my bag?'' she turned around to make sure it was just under her wing. Nothing. ''Crap,''  

''You sure you didn't drop it?'' Rakan asked. 

''Yes, I'm sure,'' Xayah nearly snapped. ''I just had it,'' she muttered. 

''Well let's walk back a little, maybe we'll find it,'' Rakan suggested calmly, placing his hand on Xayah's shoulder to calm her down too. Xayah didn't reply, just nodded looking down. She felt so dumb, how could she let something like this happen? The Raven sighed and walked past Rakan to where they came from. 

* * *

''Did you hear that?'' Rakan asked after hearing cracking echoing in the forest. He spun around, his ears twitching nervously, trying to locate the source of the sounds. His back was against Xayah's back when the crackling seemed to get closer but at the same time harder to locate. All they knew was that it came from the treetops above them.

''I did,'' Xayah nodded, her eyes searching around the area sharply, taking two feathers in between the fingers of her right hand while other subconsciously seeked for Rakan's hand to make sure he was alright and there. Rakan's fingers intertwined with Xayah's firmly, giving her hand a squeeze. It was comforting and reassuring at the same time, Xayah knew Rakan would have her back and she had his. 

''Where is it coming from?'' Rakan's icy blue eyes tried to follow the sound without any results. 

''Shh,''Xayah sushed, while her ears twitched into the same direction where her eyes went. ''Whatever it is, it's fast,'' 

''We're faster,'' Rakan said with confidence, creating a shield around him and his companion. It shined in the dark, dead forest like a bright golden star. 

''GNAR GNADA!'' was the last thing the two heard before something ascended on Rakan's shoulders from the treeline. The oh, so brave Vastayan hero couldn't stay in his feathers and let out a blood curdling half scream half shriek, trying to reach whatever was sitting on his shoulders, pulling his ears. 

''Rakan! Hold still!'' Xayah tried but her words went to waste. 

''Take it off! Xayah, it's pulling my hair!'' he demanded, jumping and spinning around recklessly.

''Shobado!!'' the fuzzy little creature seemed to laugh at the man. It was holding what seemed to be a wooden boomerang on it's other paw while other had a tight grip on Rakan's ear. The spinning finally got to Rakan's head and he tripped over a rock, falling onto the ground with a loud thump. 

''Are you alright?'' Xayah hurried to the two, holding her laughter as she saw how the little Yordle-like being waved around it's boomerang, roaring proudly as if it had single handedly defeated the big Vastayan, which wasn't far from the reality. 

''Just.. Take it off,'' Rakan sighed, not daring to take his face off the ground. It was a big hit to his dignity and he knew he would have to stand for Xayah's teasing later. Xayah walked closer to the two, kneeling down onto the little one's level. It had big brown eyes and light brown fur. Something seemed to be off though, it had a wound on it's left leg, looking a lot like what Rakan's back had. 

''Hey, don't worry we want to help,'' Xayah said, taking her hood off to show her face. ''You are hurt,'' she said, nodding at the Yordle's leg. 

''Wobbado bibaas,'' it said, sitting down on Rakan's back, straightening it's small leg for her to see better

''If I had the herbs from my bag I had collected from the lake I could help more..,'' Xayah muttered looking at the open wound carefully. 

''Shushu!'' the Yordle seemed to understand what Xayah meant and jumped up to stand. In two seconds it had climbed up a tree and disappeared into the treetops. 

''And that thing was wounded?'' Rakan asked, getting up to sit on the ground. 

''It must've had a collision with Zed's men,'' Xayah thought out loud. ''I wonder how it managed to escape,'' as soon as she had finished a sentence a body of one of Zed's henchmen dropped in front of them with a loud crunch and the Yordle followed it soon after.  

''Did that answer to your question?'' Rakan asked, glancing at Xayah who let out an amused laughter after she saw what was wrapped around the body. Her bag. 

''Looks like we found our little thief too,'' she said, reaching to untangle the strap of the bag from around the body. 

''Gnar maga!'' the Yordle tried to explain something but the two couldn't understand it. ''Shagubandu!'' it continued, pointing at it's leg with a sniffle. 

''Don't worry, I've got just something for that,'' Xayah said, opening her bag. Everything was still there, even the map. 

* * *

 ''Why do you think it stayed here?'' Rakan asked, looking at the now sleeping little Yordle. ''This place is dead, there's nothing left,'' 

''It's it's home,'' Xayah shrugged. They were sitting around a campfire and the little Yordle had fallen asleep after Xayah had put some lotion made out of the herbs on it's leg. ''I hope we can restore everything by defeating Zed..'' 

''What will happen after that?'' Rakan asked, glancing at his traveling companion. His heart ached when he even thought about the possibility of their roads diverging. 

''I'll go where ever I'm needed,'' Xayah shrugged, looking at the campfire. It was faint and didn't spread warmth almost at all due to the branches being dead. ''But I don't want to travel alone anymore,'' she then directed her eyes to Rakan who locked his eyes with hers. 

''You don't have to,'' he replied with a soft and low voice, rising his hand to touch Xayah's cheek gently. ''Never again,'' his eyes trailed between the Raven's eyes and lips hesitantly. 

''Rakan I-'' Xayah tried but the man already knew what she was about to say. 

''Don't be scared.. I won't go away,'' he promised. ''Not as long as my heart beats I wont leave your side,'' the back of his palm caressed Xayah's cheek. She leaned against his touch, closing her eyes. She was scared, scared of losing someone like him again. He had become so important to her in the last weeks and now she wasn't sure if she could handle it if he disappeared or died... Died for her. He was close to do it once.

Xayah took a deep breath before opening her eyes again, meeting them with Rakan's blue ones. They were full of caring and warmth, no one had never looked at her like it. She had to look down, it was too much, too real. 

''Don't worry,  _miella*,_ '' Rakan whispered. That word caught her off guard, making her look at him again. ''I'll never leave your side,'' he repeated, placing his fingers around her chin to reach her eyes better. They glowed in the dark like embers.

''I don't want to be alone anymore,  _mieli_ ,''

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Miella/Mieli= something you call someone you deeply care for. Miella to her and Mieli to him.


	6. The Day Of The Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The little Yordle gave Rakan and Xayah something that turns out to be very important to Shen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, it's been a while :D I wont' explain anything more in the beginning, if you want to know why I have been away for so long, skip to the end notes.  
> (Shameless promo, I started a new Sona X Draven story, you might want to go and check it out)

As soon as the sun begun rising, Xayah made sure the little Yordle's wound was healing and gave him some herbs for it. Later the two Vastayans said farewells to the little furry creature, who climbed up one of the trees, and gathered their belongings. They still had days of traveling ahead of them and needed to close some distance between them and their destination. Xayah rolled the map neatly and placed it carefully in her bag. It still amused her how easily the little Yordle was able to steal it from her, she needed to keep her guard up more, not all thieves were so adorable and cuddly like him. 

''Are we ready?'' Rakan asked as Xayah made sure the strap of her bag was in a good shape to prevent turning around once again. Xayah nodded and the two were about to leave when the little Yordle apppeared on one the lower branches of the tree in front of them. 

''Scrabadi,'' he said, extending his tiny arm towards Xayah, he had something in his hand. Xayah did the same and let the Yordle drop something on her palm. With that the brown creature disappeared again. Xayah brought her hand back to her to observe the little object she had just received. 

''What is it?'' Rakan asked, peaking from behind her shoulder. Xayah took the little object between her thumb and index fingers to see it better. 

''It's a key,'' she said. 

''Doesn't look like any key though. Do you think that he got it from Zed's henchmen?'' Rakan thought out loud. ''And by getting I mean took it from their cold, dead hands,'' he muttered, scratching his right ear where the little thing had pulled him the day before. It made him think why the Yordle was so kind with him and Xayah. Though pulling his ears and feathers wasn't actually the kindest thing, it surely beat what he did to Zed's men. 

''It does look like something people around Kinkou Monastery would have,'' Xayah's yellow eyes observed the curvy and smooth design of the dark grey key. ''We should hold on to it,'' she said, putting it in the depths of her bag. There was some crackling around them but she concluded it was the Yordle running in the treetops, shaking off the feeling of being watched. ''Let's keep going,'' the violet Raven nodded with determination in her eyes and Rakan followed her as always. 

* * *

 

For the next two hours the two Vastayans traveled with paranoia in their minds. Neither of them said anything because they knew something was out there listening to them, following them. Every once in a while Xayah would look over her shoulder to Rakan who'd give her a reassuring nod. She didn't like that he was behind her at all. She wanted him to walk beside her but she knew Rakan insisted on walking behind her to literally have her back. What she also noticed was that he stepped exactly where she stepped to cover her foot prints on the ground, that way if they were threatened she could hide or run and he'd be the target. But she'd never leave him behind, it was also something they both knew but Rakan tried to protect her in every way possible. 

A cold wind ran through the forest, causing a shiver to run through Xayah's body. If she could say something she hated about herself it was the fact that she did not handle coldness at all. It made her feel weak and dependent on something to keep her warm. 

''Do you need me?'' Rakan asked now breaking the everlasting silence, knowing that Xayah knew he wanted her to stay warm. 

''I'll let you know,'' Xayah said calmly, trying to sound careless. She still felt like someone was watching them and did not want to give to whoever was following them the idea of her knowing that they had a stalker. Rakan didn't reply, just nodded. He hated seeing her feeling cold, especially knowing that he could warm her up wrapping his wing around her body. He bit his teeth together and kept following his companion, resisting the urge to help her. She'd be furious if he did something she told him not to and he loved it. He loved to see her getting angry at him, her yellow eyes sharpening and that little nose of hers twitching along her violet ears. Angry Xayah drove Rakan crazy. But now wasn't the time for any of that. He chuckled and shook his head a little. ''I heard that,'' Xayah said, not even glancing at Rakan.

''No you didn't,'' Rakan said with a smug smile. The irritation in her voice made his chest feel warm. To that Xayah just rolled her eyes with a sigh. Rakan smiled and looked down, only to see something on the ground. It looked like...

A trip wire

''Xayah!'' Rakan managed to yell but it was too late, she had already stepped on it and a sound of a mechanism going off was in the air, Rakan reached to grab Xayah but only managed to reach her from her bag. It was enough for him, he yanked the woman away, now feeling how something wrapped around his feet and pulled him off the ground. 

''Rakan?'' Xayah asked after she realized what had happened. She was sitting on the ground after losing her balance when Rakan had yanked her backwards. Her yellow eyes looked around her in sheer panic when Rakan wasn't anywhere in sight. ''Rakan?'' she repeated, getting up to stand. 

''I'm alright but cutting me down wouldn't hurt,'' Rakan's out of breath voice came from above and Xayah looked up to see the Peacock hanging in the air, a trip wire wrapped around his feet. 

''Must be an old hunting trap,'' Xayah muttered with a relieved smile and chuckle.

''Yeah, I don't really care what it is, I just want to get down,'' Rakan said with a frustrated voice. Again, this all was a hit to his massive ego and much like Rakan liked to see Xayah angry, Xayah liked to see Rakan like this, it amused her quite a lot.

''Alright give me a second,'' Xayah said, throwing one of her feathers to cut the rope leading to Rakan's wrapped feet. 

''Wait wait I-'' Rakan tried but it was too late, he was already falling and hit the ground with a loud 'thump' sound when his body hit the ground, followed by 'oomph' sound from him when he hit the ground. ''I was wrong, getting me down would hurt,'' Rakan muttered, shaking his head. 

''Get up,'' an unfamiliar voice said, causing Rakan to look up. It was one of the shadow people, Shen, Zed's brother. He was holding Xayah from behind, a dagger on her throat. ''Give me the bag,'' he ordered. 

''Rakan, don't,'' Xayah said, exhaling through her nose, glaring at Shen, who ignored her totally. Did he already forget their fight back in the Vastayan village? She could kill him if she wanted to.

''The bag,'' Shen repeated. Rakan now noticed he was holding Xayah's bag. The strap must've broken when he saved Xayah from the trap. The male Vastayan's blue eyes moved between the bag and Shen and Xayah. 

''You want the key?'' he asked. ''You're the one who has been following us for the past three hours,'' he looked at Shen. ''Did you set up the trap?'' 

''I wish, like the girl said, it might be an old hunting trap, you two were stupid enough to trigger it and give me the opportunity I had been waiting for,'' Shen chuckled. His face was covered so it was impossible to see his facial expressions. ''Give me the bag, now,'' he repeated his first sentence. ''Or she get's to pay for it,'' 

''And here I thought you were in the nature's balance's side,'' Rakan said. ''Isn't that what Kinkou is all about?'' his tone was blaming and Shen seemed to get irritated by it. 

''Not everything is always that simple, son,'' Shen implied, tightening his grip on Xayah. ''Do you want to see your partner's blood in my hands?'' he pressed the dagger against Xayah's throat hard enough for a drop of blood to run along the blade.

It caused an unexpected reaction in Rakan. He threw the bag towards Shen and when he let go of Xayah to catch it, he dashed against the man, managing to push him onto the ground. Shen tried and managed to swing his dagger, slashing Rakan's arm but it didn't stop the Vastayan. He was out of control. The two ended up struggling on the ground, and Rakan managed to lock Shen's arms down with his legs. He wasn't a violent person, in fact Rakan hated fist fights, he thought they were dull and boring, but something in his head snapped when he saw Shen causing Xayah to bleed. He closed his fist and punched Shen's face with all his might. Then he picked the man up from the collar of his ninja suit and forced him against a tree, this gave Shen the opportunity to kick Rakan's lower abdomen and push him far enough to get what he wanted from the bag he was still holding. Rakan tried to jump on Shen again but this time he was prepared and evaded Rakan's attack by striking him on his face and then disappeared into thin air. The bag was the only thing he left behind him. 

''You better run!'' Rakan yelled after him after he managed to get up. He was out of breath, his heart pounding in his chest. 

''Rakan!'' Xayah shouted to get the Peacock's attention and succeeded, Rakan snapped out of his furious stage immediately and hurried to his companion. First thing he did was enveloped Xayah in his embrace tightly. Xayah barely managed to return to the embrace when he took her head between his hands gently, looking at her face for any bruisings or wounds, after that he moved down to look at the small cut on her neck. 

''That piece of-'' Rakan exhaled through his gritted teeth in hatred but Xayah stopped his sentence by lowering her left hand on his writs and placing her right hand on his cheek, caressing it with her thumb. 

''I'm alright, look at me,  _Mieli_  ,'' Xayah said, reaching for Rakan's blue gaze. After succeeding, she repeated. ''I'm alright,'' she smiled a little to ensure him. 

''I'm sorry,'' Rakan muttered. ''I'm sorry I couldn't protect you,  _Miella_ ,'' his voice cracked and he closed his eyes and inhaled. ''He could've killed you and I-'' again, Xayah managed to cut his sentence. 

''But he didn't, I'm here, I'm alright,'' she said. ''And to be honest you're in worse shape than I am,'' she pointed out, wiping some of Rakan's blood off his cheek. Shen had managed to hit him hard enough to cause a gash on his cheek. There was also another on his arm from Shen's dagger. 

''I'm okay,'' Rakan said, looking down. Xayah shook her head and took Rakan's hand in hers, leading him to her bag which was laying on the ground where Shen had left it before disappearing. Xayah picked it up, only to find a note there. It read

 

_Stop my brother_

 

with a very beautiful handwriting. It was clear it was from Shen but why would he leave a note like that? Wasn't he the one who fought beside Zed?

Xayah put the note in the bag and tried to find something to wrap the wound on Rakan's arm but the last bandages were given to the little Yordle. Xayah didn't think twice before ripping a piece of her dress's lower part and started to wrap it around Rakan's arm. His skin felt warm under her fingers and after wrapping the wound up, she let her fingers trail up Rakan's muscular arm to his shoulder, up his neck and then to his cheek. Xayah knew he'd do anything for her, even die for her. She'd do the same for him, she just hadn't had a chance to show it like he had.

Rakan just looked at her. He had failed protecting her and still she showed him kindness and care. Her touch was ensuring and gentle but firm at the same time, it made his chest feel warm. Rakan moved his hand on the Raven's waist, pulling her closer gently. Xayah's free hand was on Rakan's chest but she wasn't pushing him away, she wanted to feel his heart beat, and the closer the man leaned in the faster it got. Xayah couldn't lean in because of the height difference but instead rose on her toes to meet her lips with Rakan's soft and warm ones. 

It was like two worlds collided. Two different and lonely worlds who finally found someone who needed someone in their lonely lives. Xayah's mellow lips which usually were so serious were now soft and gentle against Rakan's thin lips. Everything else disappeared around the two. There was no dying land, no evil shadow people trying to steal the magic of Ionia, there were just them, right there and right then. Rakan's other hand moved to Xayah's cheek to make sure she wasn't going anywhere, not even after they had to pull back and end the kiss. He caressed her soft cheek with his thumb and smiled, looking into Xayah's yellow eyes. His smile faded as he kept his now serious blue eyes on hers.

''I love you,'' he said with a low and husky voice. ''I know it's just a human word and what we have is so much more than a stupid human word but-'' he started but once again, the Raven cut him off, this time with her lips on his. 

''I love you too,'' she replied, smiling against the Peacock's lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:  
> Blood..? 
> 
> Alright so It's been a good while and I know I shouldn't even begin to explain why I have been away but anyhow. I broke up with my fiance and to be honest that break up took all my juices. I've been trying to get my life back together ever since and as of now it feels like I'm finally managing to do so.  
> I appreciate every single one of you reading this! Thank you!


	7. The day of the Blade dancer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two Vastayans encounter an Ionian blade dancer. It's clear Xayah does not like the new woman.

''Rakan. Rakan, wake up,'' Xayah's voice said with a worried tone, pulling the man out of his dreams. He blinked his eyes few times to get his vision from blurry to somewhat clear. Xayah was now sitting up, looking down from a tree branch where they were sleeping on. It was more safer than sleeping on the ground and after what happened with Shen Rakan demanded they'd sleep in a more secure place. 

''What is it, Miella?'' Rakan asked with a low tone, getting up to sit too. Then he heard low talking and joined Xayah on the edge of the branch to see what was happening. Almost directly underneath them stood five men wearing heavy armors and weapons made of dark steel. They had ambushed a woman with black hair against the tree Rakan and Xayah used as a shelter for the night. Rakan directed his ears to the group to hear them better.

''It's time for you to stand down, Ionian.'' one of the men said. ''Bow down to Noxus or die,'' 

''We fight or we perish,'' the woman said with a strong and bitter tone. 

''Noxians,'' Xayah whispered, pulling her hood to cover her head. ''Let's go, she'll hold them back for long enough,'' 

''Xayah,'' Rakan said with a scolding tone. ''She's Ionian, one of us,'' he reminded her. ''We can't leave her.'' 

Xayah sighed. He was right. The woman seemed to live in one of the farmer villages nearby the coast and those were the villages Noxian people were trying to take over for the rich grounds they had run out in Noxus. Humans and their neverending greed disgusted Xayah to the bottom of her heart. This wasn't their fight, it was in between humans who together were reason to why Vastayans had to retreat deeper into the depths of Ionia. But Rakan's begging eyes got through Xayah's firm ones and she ended up nodding. 

''Stay here until I give you a cue,'' she whispered, leaping for the branch of the nearby tree. She swinged down from it onto the ground swiftly, gaining the attention of the soldiers. 

''You have two options here, either surrender or die,'' she said with a carefree tone, leaning against the tree behind her. 

''Isn't she the Vastayan who has caused problems in the North?'' one of the soldiers asked, turning to Xayah now fully. 

''She has a good bounty on her head,'' the other replied, gripping onto his spear tighter. 

''That's more like it,'' Xayah said with a chuckle. ''But I'm afraid this isn't an easy match up, five against three,'' she shook her head. 

''There's only two of you,'' one of the Noxians said with a laugh, taking a step forward. 

''Count again,'' Xayah smirked and four quills appeared between every finger of her right hand. In the same second she jumped into the air, throwing the feathers at the men. ''Now!'' she yelled as she threw her lethal sharp edged quills and Rakan jumped down from the tree he had patiently been hiding in.

He knocked the men off the ground, making them as easy targets for Xayah. She pulled her feathers back and much like she had thought, they hadn't done much damage on the men due to their heavy armors. One of the soldiers threw his spear at Xayah but she dodged it with an ease, rolling onto her left where Rakan met her, creating a barrier around him and his partner. 

''I can never resist a good invitation to dance,'' Xayah smirked, dashing forward to clash with the first man. He was much more bigger than her but she was faster. She dodged his first swing and slid behind him from between his feet, kicking him on the back of his knees. The man crashed down loudly, his helmet falling off. This gave Xayah an opportunity to throw a feather on the back of the man's neck. He was dead in a second. 

''You'll die for that!'' The man who Rakan was dancing with yelled, trying to reach the violet raven but Rakan made him trip, extending his leg a little. 

''Watch out!'' the woman who had stayed quiet up until now yelled and Rakan looked over his shoulder to see the third soldier trying to strike him from behind. Before Rakan had time to react the woman had dashed between him and the attacking Noxian, striking him with six sharp edged blades. It was as if she controlled those shiny objects with her full body. Her movements were graceful and suave like the wind or the ocean. The woman spun around, throwing the blades at the remaining two men, making them to lose their balance. She then dashed sharply onto each one of them, ending their lives and making it seem like it was a fully choreographed dance.

''That was amazing!'' Rakan wooed, jumping into the air. 

''Rakan, let's not gloat. Much,'' Xayah reminded, now turning to look at the woman. ''You're a blade dancer,'' it wasn't a question, Xayah had seen a few before on her journey through Ionia, she knew one when she saw one. 

''Xan Irelia and yes, the last of my village,'' the woman straightened her figure and hid her blades from others' eyes. ''Thank you for stepping in, I couldn't have handled them myself,'' she smiled kindly. 

''Rakan and Xayah,'' Xayah said without any facial expressions. Blade dancers might've been close to the magic and nature of Ionia but they were still humans, they couldn't have been trusted.

''Rakan and Xayah, please join me in my village for the night. You look like you could use a good rest,'' Irelia suggested. ''We'll provide both of you with supplies for your journey and a place to rest for as long as you need as a thank you,''

''We don't have time to stop, the island is dying,'' Xayah told Irelia whose eyes lit up in concern. ''The forests are dying furter from the coast, it'll reach this area soon too,'' 

''What? How?'' Irelia asked, taking now a step towards the two Vastayans. 

''Something is consuming the magic off the core of Ionia, we're on our way to stop it,'' Rakan continued. ''But we could use some new supplies,'' he glanced at Xayah who shot him with a look. ''We're running out of water and could use one night of sleep without having to keep watch,'' he met Xayah's yellow eyes with his blue ones. 

''Then, follow me, Vastayan heroes,'' Irelia said with a smile. 

* * *

 

''I don't like this,'' Xayah muttered to herself as they got closer to the village. Though the farming villages were mostly peaceful and the humans weren't a threat she still didn't like being so close to such a big crowd of humans. 

''I know but right now you need to rest,'' Rakan told his companion who walked few steps behind him. ''And Irelia seems trustworthy,''

''You don't know humans like I do, Rakan,'' she hissed at him. 

''Because I don't actively try to see them as enemies,'' Rakan replied sharply.

''We don't have much to offer but we'll make sure you'll get a place to rest and food to eat,'' Irelia told the two. 

''So are you the chief of your village?'' Rakan asked, walking now closer to the young blade dancer. 

''No, I am just a fighter of our people,'' Irelia chuckled. ''We don't have an army or soldiers, we're just farmers,'' 

''You did fight well, I've always admired blade dancers,'' Rakan said with a smile. 

''And as you may know us blade dancers use your Vastayan battle dancer's techniques so I should be the one saying that,'' Irelia chuckled. ''It is always a pleasure to meet someone who still treasures the old traditions,'' 

Xayah rolled her eyes at the conversation the other two were having. Rakan's nature was kind and he was likeable, but in a way she felt betrayed. Why did Rakan have to talk to Irelia so eagerly? She was a human. 

''Welcome to my village!'' Irelia stopped on top of a small hill where the forest ended. They were now facing a small village with fields and streams around it. People were working on the fields and looked genuinely happy. 

''It's beautiful,'' Rakan smiled. 

''I'll show you around,'' Irelia waved her hand and kept walking. The two Vastayans followed her, other being more resiled than other. 

* * *

 

''Three gears,'' the man behind the counter said and Xayah dropped three brown coins in front of him. She had had to stand for Irelia eyeing Rakan all day and the fact that Rakan was talking to her really warmly didn't help at all. The alcohol helped a bit but there was not enough alcohol in the whole Runeterra to make her jealousy go away. 

 _''I am not jealous,''_ she thought, taking a sip of the burning liquid and pulling her hood to cover her eyes more.  _''Stupid humans.''_ she sighed, taking another sip. Rakan had gone to the monastery with Irelia because she wanted to show him the ancient scrolls of Vastayan people. The scrolls humans stole centuries ago. Xayah couldn't believe how Rakan would look that past his fingers. 

What if he was falling for her? For Irelia?

Was that possible? 

No, he told Xayah he loved her and in Vastayan it means so much more than it means in human language. 

''Stupid.. humans,'' Xayah muttered out loud before downing the rest of the drink down her throat and letting it burn her insides on it's way down to her stomach. It was a bit stronger than what she had expected because when the liquid hit her stomach she let out a half suffocated cough. 

''Women your size shouldn't be drinking like that,'' a male voice said, making Xayah to look on her right. A man wearing dark clothing was leaning against the counter, eyeing at the female Vastayan with curious eyes. 

''I could drink you under the table any day,'' Xayah muttered half drunkly. The alcohol had hit harder than what she had expected. 

* * *

 

Rakan was walking around the village trying to find Xayah. She had been quiet all day and he did feel sorry for leaving her like that but he liked talking to Irelia, even though her view of the world was narrow and naive. It was freshening. 

Still, he wanted to find Xayah and take her in his arms. She felt threatened and like she was in danger in the village and Rakan wanted to help her to relax. She needed to sleep and who knows how long it had been since she slept on an actual bed. She had been journeying through Ionia for years. 

''They promised good money out of you,'' he heard someone talk. It didn't catch his attention too much. ''Even if that is betraying my people, my family needs the money,'' 

''Mu-Taki,'' Xayah's voice muttered. It was unclear but clear enough for Rakan to recognize her voice. He'd recognize it anywhere. 

''I don't speak your language, Vastayan,'' the man said. Rakan hid behind a corner to see what was happening. He had learned to observe the situations from Xayah, before he would've just ran there without thinking. The man was carrying Xayah on his shoulder, her hands and legs were tied down and she seemed to be drugged because her aura was so faint. He dropped the woman onto the ground and pulled her hood down to reveal her face better. She had a bruise on her cheek and her lower lip had a gash. ''Speak human, you filthy animal,''

''Do you speak this?'' Xayah asked before spitting on his face, earning another slap from him. This caused Rakan's blood to boil in his veins. 

''It's your only luck they want you alive,'' The man growled. 

''And you ran out of your luck,'' Rakan yelled, stepping from behind the corner. ''So why don't you step down before I kill you with my own hands?'' his voice was deep and threatening as he walked to the man. The Vastayan was much taller than the human and it was clear to the both who would win if there was a fight. 

''One day we will get rid of your kind,'' The man threatened, walking towards Rakan who didn't even flinch. ''You filthy inbred-'' his sentence was cut off by Rakan's hand around his throat. 

''If I were you, I'd choose my next words very carefully,'' Rakan nearly growled, picking the man up in the air without any problem, like he was light as a feather. The man let out gurgling sounds and tried to gasp for air, trying to struggle free from Rakan's grasp. 

Rakan then threw the man against the wall so hard the tiles underneath him broke. He hurried to Xayah and freed her from the ties. She was still out of it, nearly unconscious but felt how Rakan picked her up gently. 

''What took you so long?'' she asked, her words getting mixed with each other. ''I was about to kick his sorry ass,'' 

''I know Miella.. I'm sorry I was late,'' Rakan pressed his forehead against Xayah's. ''I'll never leave you again,'' 

 

 


	8. The day of the fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rakan and Xayah get into an argument and end up walking into different ways.

''Absolutely not,'' Xayah said with a harsh tone, nearly slamming her fist to the table she, Rakan and Irelia were around. ''We have a mission and you know it, Rakan,'' she reminded the Peacock who let out a sigh. 

''Xayah, we're talking about a half of a day,'' he said with a calm voice. He knew she was right, like she usually was but he felt bad for leaving people struggling. Irelia had asked the two to escort a chief of the village to another where a meeting for the leaders was held. 

''We aren't body guards or soldiers,'' Xayah growled, shooting Irelia with a sharp and very unfriendly look. ''It is not our duty, it is not our responsibility, therefore we don't need to do anything to help these people more than we already have,'' her words were strict and determined. 

''I understand that,'' Irelia said, trying to calm the situation. ''But we do not need more than one to do this mission,'' Irelia turned to look at Rakan who immediately looked at Xayah. His companion's eyes were full of anger now.

Xayah couldn't understan this. How could this human ever think to try and separate Xayah from Rakan? He would never-

''Fine, alright,'' Rakan said with a condescending tone. He sighed. Irelia smiled to him and when he turned his head to explain Xayah that he couldn't just leave the village in trouble, the only thing he saw was the end of her cloak as she exited the room, slamming the door after her. 

''Thank you, Rakan,'' Irelia said, trying to keep Rakan from following the Raven. He had to hear the route and possible threats before leaving. 

''I'll be right back,'' Rakan promised and left to find Xayah. He realized how much this angered her, he realized she must've felt betrayed but he wasn't the kind of a man to not help those in need. 

''How could you?'' Xayah asked with tears in her yellow irises. She was staring Rakan into his eyes, shooting him with a judgmental look. ''I thouhgt you... You were supposed to..'' she couldn't finish those sentences. Not without showing how much she actually needed this stupid man. How much she loved him.. He was supposed to love her too, how could he do this to her? To choose some insignificant village chief over her? Who he called his miella? 

''Xayah, calm down,'' Rakan put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. She immediately shook it off, taking a step back. 

''Don't tell me what to do!'' Xayah nearly yelled. Her ears were twitching restlessly and her aura was dark. ''Go, go help that human, abandon me and what we had.. Be my guest!'' she threw her arms in the air and turned around. ''Be like everyone else,'' 

''Miella-'' Rakan started. 

''Don't- don't call me that,'' Xayah said with a cold and a broken tone, glancing at Rakan over her shoulder, before pulling the hood to cover her face and walking away. Rakan was about to walk after her, she was just hurt and he needed to get her to understand the situation.

''Rakan, we need to leave now,'' Irelia walked from behind him. He was now being torn in two directions. He had to choose between a whole village and Xayah. It was like his heart was being torn apart too. 

''Yes.. I'll be right there,'' he finally sighed, his ears looping on the sides of his head. Xayah would be still here when he returns. She wouldn't leave like that. 

* * *

 

He was right, Xayah sat on an edge of a stonewall limiting the crops and the village itself. She was carving a piece of wood with her quill to ease her mind. 

She knew Rakan was good hearted and couldn't say no if someone asked his help. 

She knew he wasn't abandoning her. 

She knew he loved her. 

But damn why did she feel so miserable when she saw him leaving with Irelia? A human who he barely knew. 

Xayah was many things, lethal, dangerous, some might say even terrifying but jealous she wasn't. It was a feeling for possessive people. For greedy people. For humans. Not her. 

''Hey, miss. What are you doing?'' a child with a dark brown hair was now standing on Xayah's right, staring at her with his big green eyes. He was wearing grey shabby clothes and his hair resembled a bird's nest but he still was a beautiful child. 

Beautiful  _human_ child, Xayah reminded herself.

''Hasn't your mother told you not to talk with strangers?'' Xayah asked with a quick-witted tone, looking at the child. 

''My name is Daniel, what's your name?'' he asked, totally ignoring the Raven's comment. 

''Xayah,'' she replied with a sigh. 

''Now we aren't strangers anymore,'' the boy said with a clever smile. Xayah let out an amused laughter and turned to face the kid fully. ''So what are you doing?'' 

''I'm carving,'' Xayah told him. 

''What are you carving?'' he then asked with curious eyes. 

''A dagger,'' she said. 

''What for?'' 

''Do I have to have a reason to?'' 

''Mom says that sharp objects are dangerous,'' 

''Well I'm an adult too,'' Xayah said with a sigh. This kid seemed to have all the questions in his head. 

''You look really young,'' the kid pointed out. This made Xayah laugh out loud. It was true wasn't it? To this human child she must've seemed so young. Her appearance was very youthful after all. To humans she looked like she wasn't older than 16, but in reality she was much older. To Vastayans time was less relevant. They aged slower and to be honest they didn't count birthdays like humans did. 

''Why thank you,'' Xayah smiled, looking at the child. Her yellow eyes went over him to something glimmering in the distance. 

It looked like.. 

A fire ball. 

''Watch out!'' the Raven yelled, throwing herself on the human child to protect him from the incoming attack. 

''Noxians!'' someone yelled as the fireball hit the wall behind Xayah. 

* * *

 

''I can't thank you enough, Rakan,'' Irelia said with a grateful tone as they made their way back to the village. Back to Xayah. The trip went by safely without any conflicts and the whole way there and back Rakan couldn't stop thinking about his partner. He felt bad for doing what he did but she'd forgive him. 

''It was nothing,'' Rakan muttered, his eyes on the ground. 

''We could use more strong men like you in our village. We'd provide you with a house and food, it's everything you need to live,'' Irelia said with a suggesting tone. Rakan's eyes shot up immediately. 

''No, I'm sorry but I have promised my life to someone else,'' he replied immediately. There was no doubt, he would never leave Xayah's side permanently. And technically he wasn't doing it now temporarily either, he was just helping someone else, that's all. No harm done.

''Are you sure?'' Irelia asked with a disappointed tone and Rakan nodded firmly. 

''Yes, me and my partner have other plans-'' Rakan's sentence was cut short by a sound of an explosion in the distance. 

From the village. 

Where he had left Xayah. 

In a second he was gone and only a shining golden trail of magic was lingering in the air after him. 

He had entered a battlefield. The buildings were on fire, there was smoke everywhere and the remaining villagers were fighting against armed Noxians who slaughtered everyone in sight. And there was no trace of Xayah. Rakan's heart beat faster than it had ever beaten, his chest was aching. He was scared. 

''Xayah!'' he yelled out loud, gaining attention of two Noxians who charged at him without any mercy. Rakan dodged them, grabbing the first man's spear, ramming it through the second one's chest. He didn't even think about his deeds, he needed to find her. The corpse of the man fell onto the ground with the others. ''Xayah!'' he yelled again. No response. He couldn't feel her anywhere, her or her aura. It was almost as if she had disappeared or.. 

No. 

She couldn't be dead. 

Not her. 

Not his Xayah. 

''Miella!'' he let out a shaky yell before collapsing onto his knees. 

''Do you want to die here?'' he felt a tuck on his cloak and looked up to a small child. ''Don't be stupid, get up!'' he urged Rakan who snapped out of his grief. The kid was right, this wasn't the right place to die. Xayah was still somewhere, he couldn't let the negative thoughts fill him. 

The kid let Rakan away from the village, it seemed like most of the people had fled already. There were few men holding the Noxians back but all women and children and the elderly were nowhere near to be seen. 

''What happened?'' Rakan asked the boy who was walking in front of him. 

''They attacked without any warning,'' he told Rakan. ''I was lucky to have that strong lady to protect me from the first fireballs,'' 

''Where'd everyone go?'' Rakan continued with his questions. 

''We have a designated shelter for situations like this. For the weak and injured who can't fight,'' the child told him. The village knew they were on the way of the Noxians so it was smart to have an escape plan, he had to give them that. 

They were now in front of a giant mountain in the forest. It had so many different bushes and vines on it that it was hard to see the cave on it's side. The boy walked in the cave, making sure he didn't unreveal it too much for the enemies. Rakan followed him. 

There were dozens of people there, holding camp fires and making temporary beds for the injured men they had managed to get out from the village. 

''We need water and rags!'' a woman yelled. ''Daniel, quit standing around and help!'' 

''Yes, mother,'' the boy who Rakan had followed there immediately ran off to somewhere, probably to get what his mother had asked him to. 

Rakan walked to the direction of the woman, trying not to push anyone. There was at least five different people around someone who was injured. 

Rakan's heart skipped a beat. 

Xayah was laying on the ground on her stomach. She had the top part of her clothing burnt down, some on her skin which was now fully covered with burned parts. Even her wing, her beautiful violet wing had most of it's feathers burned off from the top part. Her burnt skin had small rocks and other dirt in it, making the injuries look even more painful.

She was alive but unconscious. 

Rakan collapsed down on his knees next to Xayah. He could feel her pain, her anger and sorrow. 

If he hadn't left.. 

This was all his fault. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, leaving kudos and comments always helps me and lets me know you all enjoy this story!


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